Two South African Airways (SAA) flight attendants were arrested in Hong Kong after they were allegedly caught smuggling thousands of dollars worth of cocaine.

According to The South African, a male and female flight attendant working on different flights between Johannesburg and Hong Kong were arrested by customs officials as they arrived separately to Hong Kong International Airport.

Hong Kong police announced they had seized about 40 pounds of suspected cocaine worth around $3 million on September 22 and September 24. The bust was part of an operation to combat cross-boundary drug trafficking, code-named Bullseye.

The 39-year-old female SAA flight attendant was caught with 26 pounds of cocaine and arrested at a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Two days later, police took a 35-year-old male employee into custody after finding almost 14 pounds of cocaine in a black plastic bag.

SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali confirmed the arrests and said the two crew members remain in police custody. They have each been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Local media outlets have called the drug bust the "largest haul of its kind in the past decade."

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